Freight Trains
by ShiningSoul24
Summary: No one said love was easy, but in Maka's defense no one said it would be hard either. As Maka's suppressed feelings for Soul begin to surface, she is launched into a very strange predicament, forcing her to fake a relationship with the one person she can hardly stand: Black Star.
1. Evanescent Emotions

Evanescent emotions

For some time Maka dealt with it, by immersing herself in study, exercise or plain apathy. She would push the frustration and disappointment down, shy from these new feelings, knowing they could offer nothing to her. This facade became second nature, a way to cope with anything life had to throw: hard, emotionless, strangely cold-it worked, it kept the feelings at bay. Occasionally the mask fell away into bursts of emotion, but seldom in front of others. This charade did not apply when alone behind closed doors, there the veil fell away leaving her with the raw feelings, free to imagine- to fantasize.

Maka opened the cabinet over the sink and eyed the barren dusty shelves for something edible. After moving aside half empty coffee bean containers and 5 year old boxes of mac n'cheese she unearthed an only slightly dusty box of macaroni. She scanned it for the date- not even a year old, score! Now I don't have to go grocery shopping she thought almost shamefully; ever since her father had starting 'seeing' one of the cashiers, he practically lived in the store, and Maka would not chance a family reunion at Go-and-Groce.

After setting a pot to boil and digging up some salt, Maka glanced at the sun shaped clock on the wall. The tongue, which doubled as the minute hand, sat on the 5. Soul insisted on buying it when they visited Cemetery Groove on a job, for next to nothing since for whatever reason it refused to tell the right time, always half an hour behind, but despite its stubbornness Maka loved it. It was a little early to start cooking, but she decided to go ahead, knowing that with exquisite culinary skills like hers there was bound to be at least one screw up, even with making something as mundane as pasta.

She found something green in the abyss of her sorry looking fridge and decided it was good enough for garnish. Setting it aside Maka went to the far cabinet to get some kind of sauce, which for some reason they always seemed to have an abundance of. Reaching up to grab a can her fingertips could only brush the side of it, even on her toes. She let out an exasperated sigh as she heard a laugh from the doorway. She choked on a nasty comment as she turned around. Her heart skipped a beat- or maybe two. In the doorway stood a dripping towel clad Soul. The small garment left little for the imagination falling dangerously low on his hips. Water droplets clung to his lean body, dripped from his sodden silvery hair and rolled down his muscles, leaving streaks down his bare chest. Pull it together, you've seen him like this before masquerading throughout the apartment in next to nothing, this is no different, she thought as she silently willed herself not to blush.

"Need a little help there shorty?" Soul remarked with a smirk. He made his way to the cabinet and brushed past her as Maka opened her mouth.

"We're practically the same height so that makes you short too," she responded lamely as she watched his back muscles flex as he reached up to reach the can. Maka turned away quickly and busied herself, setting the image to memory for later, while wiping away the drool, so not to seem like she was staring.

"Last time I checked I was still taller than you," he answered waving the can back and forth mockingly and Maka rolled her eyes. Soul leaned on the counter behind him after setting down the can, absentmindedly gazing out the kitchen window. Maka sneaked glances at him as she bent down to get a pan from under the counter. Her eyes shamelessly followed the scar down his wet chest, which was partially hidden by the blue towel when suddenly she dropped the pan. Holding the pan in the same hand she tried to shut the cabinet with proved to be a little too much of a multitask with her half naked death scythe in the room.

Soul turned to look at her as she quickly and clumsily put the pan on the iron grate of the stove, but Soul did not seem to notice her ungainliness.

"Oh, are you planning on cooking now?" he asked suddenly as if broken out of a trance.

"Yeah, Spaghetti, err without meatballs though," She added as she glanced gloomily into the equally barren frozen wasteland of the freezer, "Why?" Soul scratched nervously at the back of his head, a stupid little mannerism of his that he'd do when picking his words carefully so not to upset her.

"Err, I actually have plans tonight, with Kima. We were planning to go out to eat and take a walk around Luna Park later" He said, averting his eyes when he said it. Maka would get strange whenever he would mention her, though he had no clue why she should. She would get, not angry or disappointed, but just back off a little or not joke around or smile too much. With a hard swallow, Maka pried open the dried glued flaps of the box and took out a handful of the long brittle pasta before responding,

"Yeah, whatever, as long as today still counts as my turn for cooking," she joked a little dryly, as she broke and threw the macaroni into the boiling water. She could feel Soul staring into the back of her head trying to make out if she was at all vexed. Deciding that all was good he made his way out of the kitchen, pausing to playfully tug at a pigtail before dodging a swatting hand and snickering.

"Yeah, whatever," he mocked as he turned the corner to his room, leaving behind puddles of water where he walked.

"Oh, when you're done come back and mop up this water!" Maka yelled behind him. Either he didn't hear or pretended not to since he didn't answer. Maka sighed and wiped up the water with a spare dish towel, throwing it into the sink after. Something stirred in her gut, almost painfully, but she suppressed it, willed it to go away and busied herself with straightening up empty cabinets.

Ten minutes later when the pasta was just about done, Soul made his way back in, this time fully clothed, in a suit minus the jacket, and a loose tie around his neck. Maka raised her eyebrows at him, knowing just how much he preferred his sweatshirt and bandanna to suits.

"I know, I know, I look like I'm going to wedding or something"

"I was going to say funeral" Maka interrupted with a smirk that was meet with a glance.

"Kima's aunt owns some fancy food place downtown and she wanted to go dine there, so I'm being forced to wear this. Not by choice okay," he said as he fell into a chair. Maka smiled inwardly at his mocking tone.

"Ooh sounds fun. Maybe you could order caviar even," she said, knowing well how much he despised seafood, as he playfully stuck a finger down his throat and pretended to vomit. She was aware of his eyes on the back of her neck, watching her as she poured out sauce onto a pan to heat, and drained the pasta. Soul sighed as he looked at the clock, moving the tongue a half hour forward for it to only move right back.

"Maka, could you tie this for me," he asked suddenly as he took both sides of the tie into fists and sighed again.

"How don't you know how to do this yet," she responded with fake agitation as she made her way over. Soul stood up and tilted his chin up as Maka looped and knotted the ends. She smiled at being so close, for a moment letting her mind wander and wonder if it would feel different if the tie was for her.

"Why learn when you can do it for me," he teased, and she pulled at the ends harder than usual, causing him to stiffen. She smiled sweetly and lightly patted his chest,

"What would you do without me?"

"I'd be going on a fancy dinner date with no tie, which would not be cool," and with mock pride added, "and maybe next time I might, it would save me from the nagging." He added a lopsided grin sending shivers down her spine making everything seem alright.

"Well, gotta go, don't want to be late. Cool guys like me don't leave a girl waiting," he winked before leaving without a backward glance. At the slam of the door and without skipping a beat, Maka began cutting the green thing, her knife coming down harder and harder with each downward motion. She nicked her finger and exclaimed in anger.

She could feel angry sobs stuck at the back of her throat as the cutting board swayed and blurred. Taking shaky breaths, she ran her hand under water, realizing then that the small scratch didn't warrant tears, yet they fell down nonetheless. Turning off the burner and throwing out the nearly ready meal in the trash, Maka made her way into the living room when she threw herself down on the couch, spotting treasure under the coffee table. She sat up and pushed it away with her foot, picking up the dust covered textbook. She breathed it in, immersed herself in the theories and words, and soon the tears dried and her thoughts settled. After the sun had gone down and her neck stiffened she made her way into her room and lay on her bed staring out into the night. Sometime later she heard the turn of a key and the beat of happy footsteps that slowed when passing her door. That night she let herself dream that stupid gait was because of her.

 **Ahh, I'm back to writing. It's been what, 2 years now since my last piece, yikes. Anyways tell me what you thought; I'm open to all criticism. Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Something New

"How stupid lovers can be! If they were not there would be not story." - Jean Plaidy

Maka Albarn was undisputedly the smartest student in the DWMA, called a genius many times over with a near perfect attendance record and some of the highest test scores ever recorded in academy history, but the chant running through her head would tell an onlooker otherwise: Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid… she played over and over in her head. Despite the smarts and grades to match, moments like these really made her wonder if she deserved all the admiration.

The bush she was hiding behind just covered the top of her head, and she had enough room to lay out her stiffening legs out straight without anyone noticing her- or so she thought. Despite knowing full well that it was idiotic and childish, Maka just couldn't will herself to get up and go back home. She put her face in her hands and let out a sigh. It was shameful; shameful that it took her all morning to formulate this plan, shameful that she actually went outside her door, shameful that she sat practically skulking behind a bush and a broken park bench waiting for Soul and his girlfriend to come around the corner. Stalking was not the word she had used when thinking this through- it was more along the lines of 'extensive clandestine research'- oh who was she kidding, this was straight up stalking and she knew it.

She was mortified and miserable with the waxy leaves of the bush tickling her arms and neck and the cold wetness of the ground that was seeping through the thin cotton of her skirt. To top it off, she was almost certain a bug was crawling up her back. She was also paranoid, looking over her shoulder at every slight rustle of leaves or voice carried over from town. She fingered at the book she brought with her nervously, flipping through the pages every once so often.

Her neck ached, and the humiliation she felt was a stone in her stomach, growing heavier and heavier with each passing minute, yet she remained rooted as the trees around her, waiting what for, well she really didn't know. Something stirred in her when Soul told her that he was going into town with Kima instead of their weekly practice session with Tsubaki and BlackStar. Innate jealousy brewed in her gut, which took over her normally carefree demeanor and made her reckless. She deduced that Soul and Kima would come up this road and into town sometime, so she devised a plan so shameful she would rather drop out of school than tell a soul, so she hid and waited in painstaking agony for something to happen.

She waited until the sun was yawning, until shadows of nearby trees grew longer and the specked patterns the light created on the ground as it sank through tree leaves faded to gray. Just as she was losing hope and gaining back some self respect she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her and swung her head to see none other than Black star's face leaning over her. She was at a loss for words at the sight of him.

"I thought I saw a leg sticking out of here, what the hell are you doing here Maka?" He asked. Covered in sweat and a few scrapes, it was apparent he just finished some kind of training before making his way down this way. Maka quickly decided to give the rehearsed explanation that she wanted a quiet place to read and she somehow ended up here- it was almost believable. But before she could get out a word another set of steps was coming down the path and she quickly yanked BlackStar down by the arm-

"Hey, what the he-" he managed before she place a hand over his mouth and willed him to shut up with a fearful angry glare. Confusion crossed his face as he tried to get up, but gave up at the sight of how pitiful Maka looked. Their heads snapped in unison toward the voices coming up the street, and almost instantly Maka's heart sank at the sight.

None other than Soul and, who Maka assumed was Kima, went down the street laughing at some unheard joke. One look at her perfectly styled hair, manicured nails and chest that would rival Blair's in size and modesty made her heart sink farther. Maka hid her burning face in shame, knowing well that even BlackStar would now be able to deduce what she was doing. Despite this she watched the vivacious girl holding onto Soul and laughing, watched his face smile and his stupid pointed teeth through his lips as he laughed and joked along.

"Hey, let's go," BlackStar whispered to her, and motioned with his head in the other direction. Surprisingly enough he didn't look at her with disgust or pity, just a straight indecipherable expression. As he motioned with his head BlackStar's hand slipped on account of the strange position he was seated on the ground. He fell into the shrub with a muffled grunt, stopping the conversation of the couple down the path.

"Shit, sorry," he whispered rubbing his elbow, totally calm and collected. To say Maka was panicking was an understatement- she could feel the sweat dripping down her back and a strange pit the bottom of her stomach growing with every passing second.

"No, no this can't be happening," Maka whispered aloud in horror. Only then did BlackStar completely register the situation. Looking back and forth from a fast approaching Soul to a petrified Maka a look of uncertainty crossed his face just as he placed a hand behind Maka's head. He threw a leg over her waist leaning over her. Before she could even register what was happening, Maka felt lips pressed against her own. A deep blush crept up from her neck as she realized it. She lay there embarrassed to the point of speechlessness as his lips moved over hers and his hand worked its way into her hair. Despite barely touching her own body, she could feel the heat radiating off of him wherever they did touch. And just as suddenly as it occurred, it abruptly ended and BlackStar pulled away, putting on a face of feigned surprise and annoyance to match that of Soul's peering over.

"Uh, dude can't you see we're a bit busy here?" Blackstar answered to his confused face. Soul looked over to Maka and mistook her blush for embarrassment of being caught. He raised his eyebrows at them as if expecting some wild story or explanation but only received an annoyed look from BlackStar.

"Sorry, for disturbing, uh, whatever it was you're doing," he managed, at a loss for words himself before shaking head in disbelief before making way back to Kima. Once they were out of hearing distance, BlackStar sprang up wearing a goofy smile, holding out a hand to Maka. She ignored it getting up herself and dusting off remnants of leaves and dirt. She looked over furiously at Blackstar, gathering up her voice to say,

"What the hell was that about!?" She instantly regretted her bout of misguided anger as the look of playfulness was replaced with one of disgust.

"Saved your sorry ass is what," he retorted as he turned away, "You're impossible, you know that, I can't believe that I actually thought that you-" he cut himself off, "What, would you have rathered had me do nothing, maybe even told Soul that you were stalking him and his girlfriend. I sure that would go over well for you!" he nearly shouted back. Maka blinked back tears of fury and shame, too prideful even now to apologize. Blackstar's face softened a bit at the sorry sight of her.

"What are you gonna do now," he asked her.

"I'm going back to take a shower and think thin-" she managed to croak out like a child before he cut her off.

"No, I mean about Soul. After that hot make out session he'd know something's up if we just broke it off today." He had a point she had to admit, but couldn't.

"I don't know, I'm not good at this stuff, you know that, if I was I wouldn't be behind this bush and in this stupid mess," Maka answered in misery. At least Blackstar didn't look the least bit troubled by the predicament, he seemed to almost be enjoying it, which infuriated her all the more.

"Fake it then I guess, for a little until it blows over," he answered her with a mischievous smile, "think 'bout it, it will be fun. Think of the faces people will give us walking down the street," he added at Maka's mortified face, "anndddd Soul might get jealous- isn't that what you want?" he almost mocked. Maka couldn't help herself; the angered boiled and swelled in her at his nonchalant attitude.

"That's even less believable, why would someone like me want to be seen with someone like you," she instantly regretted igniting this war of words, knowing full well she had more to lose. A shadow crossed over his face and he stiffened, it was now his turn to vent.

"I could say the same thing about you! All you ever do is nag, nag, nag, and pretend that you're better than everyone else just because you get good grades and teachers like you, it's sickening. No wonder Soul doesn't like you, no wonder no one does," he answered in disgust turning away and heading down the path, pulling leaves loose from the hedges bordering the path. The words stung, not because they were put out to anger her, but because they were true.

A wave of emotion swept over her, she wanted to be angry at him but knew that she had no right. Ugh she exclaimed in frustration, kicking at a nearby tree until her toes hurt. She wiped at furious tears now coming down in streams. Why was she so dumb, why did she have to say all the wrong words and push away those trying to help her? She picked up her damp book and forced her way through the bush, tripping on the stone curb and scraping a knee. An older couple wearing some kind of matching cloak set looked at her as if came out of thin air. She ignored them and made her way down the path and into town and spent the next hour ducking in and out of stores and mindlessly wandering the street. As she approached Amber Avenue a thought suddenly occurred to her, Death City District Library.

Just standing in front of the dark wooden doors calmed her and the cold brass of the handle settled her as she made her way in. The head librarian smiled at her, welcoming her in. Maka managed a half hearted smile before making a beeline to the spiral staircase she had come to love. Each floor housed a different type of books, the fifth, textbooks, being her favorite. It was almost the top floor, with only an attic containing old dusty duplicates above, making it so very few people were ever found up here. Maka slid her hands up and down the rows of books stacked every which way. She made her way down to her favorite crevice containing a worn yellow woolen couch, stacked with miscellaneous books on one side. A small yellowing window adorned the wall next to her and a lamp sat perfectly beside her, its yellowing light casting strangely poignant shadows across the aisle. There was nothing like the feeling of a library that could settle her and think over what happened.

She let a long sigh and she plopped down on the worn cushion as if she had just gotten home from a long mission. She now calmly thought back to the day's event wishing she could rewind the clock just a few hours. Shame washed over her as she thought back to what she said to BlackStar and embarrassment too as she thought of the kiss. She blushed to herself remembering the pressure of his lips and how she so wished they were Soul's instead. Strange enough she wasn't upset at him, and thought she might have even enjoyed if she weren't petrified with fear. She pushed the thought from her head once realizing what she was thinking. He was bound to tell everyone, if not about the kiss then about what really happened, Maka could almost feel the stares she would get with her fellow classmates knowing what went on between them.

Finally, she blocked the thoughts altogether and immersed herself in perusing the shelves for some light reading to take home. Two aisles and nine books later Maka forced herself to walk down the staircase, and out the double doors. The air outside was heavier and seemed almost dirty compared to that of the library's. She made her way down town, passing little dinky shops selling everything anyone could ever want and need, heading back to the apartment. She could barely see on account of the large pile of books, and she soon wished she had some kind of bag to carry them in. Suddenly she heard loud banging footsteps behind and with some effort she managed to turn her head back without dropping anything, only to see a blubbering BlackStar running toward her.

Her heart sank when she saw him, ashamed at what she had said and at his now carefree attitude. If there was one thing she admired most about him it would be his ability to forgive and forget. She could really do with taking a leaf from his book.

"Hey, Maka. Need some help there!" he asked her as if their squabble had never at all happened. She slowed her already snail pace so he could catch up. Before she could let out a word, he effortlessly picked up more than half the pile before looking at her.

"No give it back I can carry it myself," she halfheartedly remarked, trying to sound vexed. Secretly she was thankful at the weight reduction- her arms were already sore.

"Hey Maka, these weight more than you do!" He remarked as if he hadn't heard what she said and effortlessly made his way down the street without a glance back. Maka had no choice but to follow him back. They walked in silence for a few moments until it hung about them like three day old fish. Once she could not stand it anymore Maka suddenly blurted,

"Look. I'm sorry," but BlackStar didn't even look back, maybe he hadn't heard her. This time she sped up and stood in front of him forcing him to stop inches from her and look at her.

"Maka-" he began, but she cut him off,

"Blackstar," she managed and then paused for a second, lost in his expectant glare, "I-I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it, any of it really. You were right I'm terrible, I'm a horrible person, you have every right to-" Her voice began to quiver, and she knew if she didn't shut up soon tears would soon come and she'd never live it down. But he now cut her off,

"I never said you were a bad person, just naggy…" He said, a little uncomfortably, moving all the books onto one hand and running the other through his blue hair, "And don't apologize I said some nasty stuff too, so let's forgive and forget ehh!" he added cheerfully. Something about the smile made her smile and warmed her just a little. They went on, now in a comfortable silence.

When they were a block away two figures came into view; dark shadows in front of the nearly set sun stretched all the way to them. The silhouettes of Soul and Kima turned into one as they embraced in front of her apartment. Maka took in an embarrassingly sharp breath that warranted a look from BlackStar, but after everything that had happened today, she had stopped caring what he might think. They got about ten feet from them before they broke the kiss and turned to BlackStar and Maka. Kima's face lit up as saw Maka, as if they were old friends. Before anyone could say anything, Kima hugged her, and Maka half heartedly placed her arms around her.

"Hi! You must be Maka! Soul has told me so much about you," she quickly said, as if she had recited it before. Maka couldn't help but feel a little ashamed for hating her before they even meet, she seemed so kind, if not a bit too friendly.

"Um, yes I am, and you must be Kima, nice to meet you," Maka tried to mimic her tone but utterly failed. She glanced at BlackStar who pointed at the corner of his mouth, trying to get Soul's attention. Soul wiped a smudge of pink lip stick off the corner of his mouth. Maka turned quickly back to Kima, who stood before her expectantly. Getting the hint that Maka had nothing else to say she tried,

"Wow, you are so lucky to get to live with Soul. I'm so jealous!"

"Yeah, I guess so," she answered stiffly, wishing she could anywhere but here, "though you would have to develop a liking for mac and cheese and scrambled eggs, because that's all he can make." Kima laughed as if her half hearted joke was actually funny, which she was thankful for.

"Hey, Kima," BalckStar interrupted, "How about you come and play basketball with us sometime, we need another player to even it out, what do you say?" She glanced at Soul as if searching for his approval, after a second of deliberation she answered,

"Of course, I'd love to! It's just… that I'm not so good at it, I don't want to let anyone down."

"Oh, you'll do fine, you can't be worse than Maka, and it might even things out a bit too," Soul joked and this time everyone laughed including Maka. He looked over to her and a strange look crossed over his just for a moment.

"Well then, I'd best be off," Kima said, elongating her words to fill the silence. She looked expectantly at Soul, who for whatever reason hadn't moved over to her.

"Yeah, same here. I'm all worn out from training. I think I'll turn in early tonight," added BlackStar. He turned to Maka and smiled, reaching out with the books so Maka could take them. Just then something in Maka snapped. What caused it, she didn't know, maybe it was the strange look Soul was giving her, or the longing look Kima was giving him, but it made her do something very un-Maka like.

She leaned over on the tips of her toes and kissed BlackStar, or more so like awkwardly banged lips with him. A look of total disbelief crossed his face- and Soul's, much to Maka's pleasure- but then he returned it, kissing her back deeply while she more or less stood there. One, two, three seconds, an eternity, passed before they broke off and Maka turned back and made her way quickly up the stairs. She turned back before opening the door and sweetly called,

"Bye BlackStar, see you tomorrow!" she gazed upon Soul's open mouth and Kima's longing eyes before going in without a backward glance.

Maka almost ran up to her room, and threw down the books near her bed. She closed and locked the door, sliding down behind it and throwing her head in her hands. She could feel the heat of her face against her palms as she thought back to what she had done. Strangely enough she had no regrets; the astounded look of Soul's face was retribution enough for all the sleepless nights. Maka found herself smiling into her hands as she heard the front door open and footsteps shuffle in. They paused at her door for so long she almost thought she had misheard them, but suddenly they shuffled again into the room so close to hers.

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Between the Lines

**between the lines**

As it turns out, the hours spent on the damp cold ground only granted Maka problems, the most pressing matter being the relationship she now had to fake with BlackStar followed closely behind by a moderate cold she had developed, if a few sniffles and a scratchy throat could actually warrant that. And so, for the first time in her life Maka decided she would rather stay home than spent the day worried to the point of actual sickness.

Little did she know that her grand idea of staying under the radar would backfire, with her absence sparking gossip like never before, creating a wonderfully open path for the news of her and BlackStar to travel.

When Maka hadn't banged on Soul's door as she normally does in the morning, he knew something was wrong. And even more so upon realizing that Maka hadn't woken him not because she was angry, but because she hadn't gotten out of bed. All morning Soul went in and out of her room, checking to see if she was still alive it seemed, much to Maka's secret pleasure. He became so worried that he even called Maka's father to come and check on her.

Bursting through the doors, and nearly knocking them off their hinges, he sped into Maka's room where she lay under the covers half way through _Riding the Waves: A Guide to Everything Wavelength_ , mildly pleased with how the day had gone so far.

"Maka my, sweet sweet baby girl. You aren't dying are you, are you!?" Spirit yelled upon seeing her in bed, "Oh, no. I've failed you, once again! My sweet daughter… my one and only Maka… _dramatic faint_ , how will I ever go on, oh I can't I just can't do it... _cries_. I'm sorry world, I'm sorry. Why, why is this happening to me… the last thing in this world I love and cherish is being taken from and too soon, far too soon…" He went on with this cringe worthy speech for a few minutes, long after Soul was thoroughly disgusted with the dramatic performance and Maka was nearly finished with her book. Once her father paused to let out a few more sobs Maka sighed, shutting her book with a thump.

"I'm not dying, I just have a cold and I thought a day off for once would be nice," Maka added in between the sobs, but her attempt at pacifying him only made it worse.

"T-t-this is worse than I thought, you really are dying, you just don't know it yet. The bliss! The bliss of ignorance my darling. I will call Stein. Yes, yes, he can fix you. Don't you worry a single hair on your head, for your Papa will save you and prove once and for all that he is a wonderful father and then your mother will hear of the wonderful feat papa ha-" He crumbled to the ground on account of a Maka chop. Maka sighed and tried again, hoping the hit to the head made a few of the right gears turn in his head.

"I'm fine...Papa… I'm not dying, it's like I said, it's just a little cold and I'll be fine tomorrow," Maka answered as sweetly as one can through her teeth, "Now, get up off the ground and go back to work, or whatever it is you do all day and leave me alone." The crumbled mound of her father slowly got up, his lip still slightly quivering. After another episode- this time one in jubilation, because Maka had called him Papa, and one more Maka chop, he was out of the door and out of her life for the time being.

The next few hours proved to be very productive for her. She cleaned out the barren fridge, studied some new material and even took a short siesta around noon. Maka felt refreshed, if not slightly ashamed of herself, but she had not once thought of the predicament she was in and for the first time in a long time felt truly at peace, which sadly lasted only until around 3 o'clock, when the academy let out.

Word had spread about both her absence and the rumors about her and Blackstar had already begun to circulate. When her front door finally opened she had expected to find only a slightly worried Soul, but instead it seemed as if everyone that could possibly be there was there. Soul, Liz, Patty, Blair, Kid, Tsubaki and BlackStar made their way into the already too small apartment.

"Maka are you really ill?" Asked Tsubaki before anyone else could say anything.

"Is Maka dying, because if she is can I have that giraffe that I got you for your last birthday back…" Patty rambled on.

"Of course she isn't dying just look at her she's OH MY LORD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" exclaimed kid as he laid eyes on the bookshelf behind her. He ran up to it in tears and proceeded to straighten up the books sobbing softly to himself, with Blackstar next to him looking through Soul's video game collection.

"Oh no, what a gloomy situation, I know how to spruce things up a bit," Blair added mischievously. In a poof of sparkles her clothes suddenly vanished, replaced by what looked like pieces of cloth with string attached that in some way constituted as clothes. She then fell onto Soul, mush to Maka's displeasure, with a faked somber expression, "here you go, and don't you worry about Maka, worry about me instead for a few moments. Blair needs some care!" she murmured to an unconscious Soul which she straddled as Liz tried to pry her off of him and ask where she had bought the ludicrous outfit.

Maka just sat on the sofa next to Tsubaki taking it all in, and counting to ten over and over to make sure she didn't do anything rash. It took a good 20 minutes for everyone to settle down and another 10 to get Blair back into some clothes. Finally, with the help of Tsubaki, Kid was pried away from the bookcase, Soul cleaned up the stream of blood from his nose, Liz was contently filing her nails and Patty was drawing something on the kitchen counter. Once everything was explained and done with and everyone believed that Maka wasn't deathly ill it was around dinner time and someone had ordered food to be delivered.

"Oh, boy Maka I'm sorry about all this," Tsubaki said to her privately once everyone was situated around the coffee table except them.

"It's fine, I'd rather this than have my father come over again," Maka answered with a sigh, and Tsubaki responded with a nervous giggle before settling down next to Liz. The doorbell rang and Maka went out to pay for the boxes of pizza. After placing down the boxes on the table, she realized the only seat left open was one next to BlackStar, on the smaller couch where Soul usually sat. Squeezing her way through she sat down next to him, noticing how everyone's eyes quickly darted to her when she had, and realizing that it had deliberately been left open for her. He hardly even looked over to her as if preoccupied with something else. While fighting the growing urge to run and hide, Maka tried to act normal. Soon, she was able to look BlackStar in the eye and hold a conversation without thinking too much about what had happened the day before. And just when things started to settle down and she finally became comfortable, the doorbell rang. Soul got up instinctively, as if knowing who it was, because in actuality he did.

None other than Kima made her way in, apologizing at her tardiness, and blaming a busy day at work for it. After exchanging pleasantries with everyone she down next to Soul or more so on top of him than anything. Sneaking glances at her short leather skirt and not so modest top, Maka felt her clothes belonged back to the 1920s.

"So, Maka, are you feeling better? Soul told me about how you weren't feeling well; he even wanted to stay home to make sure you were alright! How sweet." Kima asked her in her carefree tone, but Maka could hear a tinge of jealousy in her voice when she did. BlackStar stared at her from the corner of his eye, pretending not to be listening in.

"I'm fine really. I needed a mental day; you know how it is…" Maka trailed off. For some reason she just couldn't hold a conversation with her. Fiddling with the corner of the paper plate she had discarded crust on, Maka only half halfheartedly listened to some great drawn out story Kima started to tell about her days at an academy far from here. Apparently she was a technician too, who had left the trade because it was too hectic for her and instead found herself a proud co owner of tiny little magical makeup store which apparently earned her more money than she would ever need.

It was unclear when it started, but throughout the night BlackStar and Kid had a silent passive aggressive war going on between the coffee table. Blackstar would slightly move his perfectly aligned napkin to make room for his plate and kid push it away, nearly off the table. This went on for some time, with the game steadily escalating throughout Kima's story.

"Last year we sold this coconut nectar extract infused with pollysima oil in a formula that made hair change color with every wash! The only drawback to the-" Kima was cut off when Kid let out a very girly cry. It seemed as though Kid was fed up the game and pushed BlackStar's cup away a little too roughly, causing it to tip over and spill over the table.

"What have you done!? My napkin in wet, there is water spilling making asymmetrical droplet patterns- don't you laugh at me you buffoon!" BlackStar was nearly doubled over laughing at Kid's performance, as Tsubaki tried to soothe him and others snickered at the scene. Even Tsubaki couldn't calm the ever growing anger in him as BlackStar mimicked his screech. In a bout of anger, Kid took up the nearest full cup, which happened to be Liz's, and threw the soda across the table. This lapse in judgment apparently came with a lapse in aim, because instead of hitting BlackStar, the liquid went over his head and onto Maka. Angry, annoyed and now wet, Maka yelled,

"You've got to be kidding me!" right after a yelp from Kima, who now was using this incident as an excuse to cling onto Soul who instinctively put his arm around her. Maka stood up quickly, with pigtails looking like dripping rattails, making streams down her shirt. She glared at the both of them, and decided a Maka chop wasn't worth her effort, so she went down the hall into the bathroom, fuming and cursing under her breath. Kid yelled apologies at her back while Blair and the other girls softly giggled. She could hear Tsubaki reprimanding the both of them while BlackStar maintained that he wasn't in the wrong. She looked back to Soul, his crimson eyes were focused on Kima, her hands around his arm, lips moving quickly, making Maka wish she knew what was being said between them. Suddenly Soul turned his head toward her giving her his signature what-are-you-gonna-do smile, pointed teeth making up the lopsided grin she had come to love so much. But something about his comfort around the blond twisted her stomach into a knot, so she turned into the bathroom without a second glance.

It was then that Maka let herself believe that she had been replaced. A prettier, less naggy, non boob deficient, all around perfect girl was in her seat next to her death scythe, and there was nothing she could do about it, she couldn't even hate the girl. Sighing, she forced down the feelings and tried her best to make herself look presentable. Despite her best attempts the sugary soft drink would not come out of her hair, deciding a shower would be the best course of action.

Back in the living room, it became apparent to Tsubaki, call it women's intuition, that Maka probably wasn't coming back soon, or wanted to. Somehow, she managed to get the whole party out the doors in a few minutes, ushering out a panicking Kid, death only knew what his blubbering was about now, leaving Soul and Kima in the living room and BlackStar in the kitchen.

"I'm going out now okay BlackStar. Will you stay to see if Maka is okay? She seemed really upset before, maybe you should talk to her." Tsubaki whispered to him in the kitchen. He was sitting up on the counter eating pizza from an open box next to actuality, Tsubaki wasn't so sure about what was happening between then and figured that staying out of it would cause the least amount of trouble for everyone.

"Sure. Whatever see ya later then," he answered nonchalantly as if he hadn't heard a word and went on eating and swinging his legs. After she had left, the giggling and shuffling from the other room grew old quickly and he began to wonder what was taking Maka so long. Sighing and wiping his hands on his pants, BlackStar made his way to the bathroom and tried the handle- unlocked, so he went in.

"What the hell are you doing?" Maka whisper-yelled furiously at him. She was wrapped in a towel, long strands of her hair fell around her dripping water as she folded her arms over her. Instead of shying away as most people might, BlackStar leaned against the door and stared right at her.

"The door was open so I went in." he answered simply. Anger bubbled in Maka again,

"Still, do you think that gives you any right to come in here!" BlackStar rolled his eyes and put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Soorryyy," he said mockingly, "considering that you're my girlfriend and all I didn't think you would mind, how about we take a bath together or something, have some fun," he wiggled in eyebrows at her and Maka's jaw fell in disbelief. As soon as he said it he burst out laughing at the absurdity of his words. After a moment Maka laughed along. She was losing it she really was. _What in the world am I doing_ , she thought as doubled over in laughter and BlackStar laughed ever harder at her nonsensical merriment. In that laughter bout a switched flipped in her upon realizing what was happening. She was alone in a bathroom, practically naked with BlackStar; laughing her head for no reason, while Soul and someone she barely knew where doing God knows what on the living room couch. Was it even crazier that she almost enjoyed it too; the absurdity of it all crushed and lifted her at the same time, throwing her back and forth, sending her thrashing around somewhere in the middle on this roller coaster of emotions.

Without warning her laughter turned to tears, sobs that took BlackStar a moment to register. He stopped laughing and gazed at her in disbelief. Maka held her head in her hands crying uncontrollably while BlackStar scratched his head trying to make sense of it all.

"Uhh, Maka are you… okay," he tried to say soothingly, but it sounded almost fearful. He had never seen Maka cry like this, only seeing her cry one time, and that was when Soul had the accident that gave him his scar. Something was wrong that such a strong well put together person like Maka was sobbing in front of him and he had no idea what to do. Wishing that Tsubaki was here, he tried to imagine what she would do.

"Maka, it's okay, everything's okay. I don't know what's happening, but you'll umm get through it…?" he tried uncertainly. He walked over to her and put his arms around her bracing himself for a Maka chop that never came. To his surprise Maka fell into him, with her hands over her eyes, and leaned into his chest as he tightened his arms around her until he could feel the sobs coming through her, jarring him.

BlackStar was at a loss for words. He somewhat reluctantly held her small shaking frame wishing to be anywhere but there, thinking that meeting with Excalibur would be a whole lot better than being in this strange situation. An eternity passed, then an epoch; time passes strangely when so close to another person. A slight anger festered within him as he held his friend, anger directed at Soul that he couldn't quite place. It was upsetting that he couldn't just punch what was making her so upset, it would resolve nothing. With violence being BlackStar's main problem solving technique he was truly at a loss for what to do which he would never admit.

Maka's sobs now wound down to sniffles, and as she soon realized that she had BlackStar plastered against the porcelain tiles of the bathroom wall, probably out of his mind wondering why she had lost hers she tried to pull away, but his arms wouldn't budge.

She looked up at him, her face inches from his barely able to make out his dark eyes beneath strands blue hair and he looked away after a pause making her unable to read his expression. Something in the glance troubled her, was he-

The door opened with its soft creak, revealing Soul in the doorway. With bright yellow light streaming into the hall, he looked like an image painted into the door frame, a hazy one giving little as to what he was thinking. Years went by before anything was said; the silence crushing them all as BlackStar and Soul locked eyes. Soul shifted his gaze to Maka who was leaning against him in only a thin towel, who was again thrown on a roller coaster of emotion as she met his gaze and then attempted a half smile that turned into a grimace.

"What are you doing?" Soul said eyes still on her.

"I think it's it kinda obvious don't you think, now if you don't mind leaving, I gave you and Kiki some alone time, it's only fair for-" BlackStar started with a smirk. Still he wouldn't loosen his grip, which strangely enough was the only thing keeping Maka from falling apart again.

"I wasn't asking you." Soul coldly interrupted to his mocking tone which caused BlackStar to raise his eyebrows and hold Maka only tighter. Her throat tightened from before and constricted even more at his tone, making it near impossible to say anything, that is if she even had anything to say in the first place. It dawned on her that Soul wasn't buying her bogus story and no amount of kissing and hugging would settle the doubt brewing in him. But she couldn't let herself spit out the truth either, her prideful half which came to the surface wouldn't let her.

"What does it look like?" she managed to croak looking him dead in the eye, a strange coldness enveloped her and she stiffened, "Just go back to Kima, cool guys don't keep a girl waiting." There was a long pause after she said that, maybe with too much venom, in which Soul just stared at them as if trying to make sense of the scene. His crimson eyes bore into her own questioning her, forcing her to turn away.

"She left a minute ago. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said simply, "and by the looks of it you're perfectly fine." He turned on a heel and made his way down the hall, leaving the door open. The brief exchange sent shivers down her spine, which BlackStar mistook for her being cold.

"Well, that was fun! What are you waiting for, get into something warm before you catch another cold." Blackstar said after a few awkward seconds. They came apart and Maka blushed as she turned away. BlackStar reached over and playfully ruffled her hair, sending stray droplets falling onto the tiled floor.

"Hey, what did you do that for," Maka tried in fake annoyance, but it came out wrong. She tried to flatten her messed up hair as BlackStar looked over his shoulder on his way out.

"Hey, keep it down from now on, I like it like that," He said over his shoulder. For some reason the comment made her blush more than she would ever admit.

She gazed into the mirror for a moment at the way her hair cascaded around her shoulders; in reality it didn't look so bad. Never one to care much about looks she hadn't entertained the possibility of trying something new with her hair. The front door creaked bringing her back to reality.

Before she could register what she was going, Maka ran out to the hall and up to the front door, grabbing the door knob before it could shut.

"Wait Black Star," she almost yelled thinking he was down the street already but she noticed him leaning against the rail of her apartment stairs, hands in his pocket he seemed genuinely surprised to see her. Taking his hands out of his pockets expectantly he raised an eyebrow slightly and looked her up and down. Maka had momentarily forgotten she was still wrapped in just a towel, damp hair blowing lightly in the breeze. Crossing her arms and willing herself not to blush, she somehow found her voice.

"Thank you," she said simply, reddening a little at her own awkwardness, which she could almost taste. His little smirk turned into a grin, white teeth shining in the twilight. He gave a little laugh before making his way down the steps two at a time.

"Maka, I really don't get you. You're out of your mind," he finished, making his way down the road back to his own apartment, without the slightest backward glance. Maka watched his blue hair bobbing down the road, until his figure faded into the gray silhouette of Death City. Strangely at peace, if not slightly embarrassed, she made her way back inside, silently mulling over what had happened. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she thought, BlackStar may be violent, immature and occasionally purely idiotic, but he had a sweet side to him, one that she had just never had the chance to see before. It goes to show, there is another side to every story, it's just a matter of reading between the right lines.

 **Thanks for the feedback. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Let the Games Begin

Rough hands pressed her small frame against his body. She could hear his heartbeat, feel it through the thin cotton of his shirt; it matched her own racing heart. She felt it speed up as he ran long fingers through her sleek hair, gently pulling her head toward his for another kiss. Their lips touched for a second and she could feel his smile, a burning sensation traveling down her body, the heat of his own body seeping into her. She could feel hot breath on her neck as he kissed her, gently caressing her body, hands expertly moving up and down her waist lowering slightly with every stroke.

She pulled away slightly, moving her torso backward and placing her hands on his chest. She looked deeply into his dark eyes filled with longing and wanting. She slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, biting her lip as her hands smoothly went down the row occasionally touching the lean muscles of his chest underneath, sending shivers down her spine. With patience slipping away as water does through open hands, he tore the last two buttons clean off, much to the brunette's surprise and in one fluid motion he pinned her to the bed, hips resting on her own. With a sharp intake of breath at the sudden act he placed is mouth forcefully on hers, initiating a deep kiss that sent them both gasping for air and longing for more. His eyes locked on hers, no longer closed, looking straight through her as she moaned his name quietly. She pulled his body to hers, arching her hips and moaning slightly as one hand traveled down her body, past the hem of her undergarments, caressing her inner thigh and slowly working its way up to-

Maka quickly closed the novel and tossed it aside, feeling a slightly ashamed and dirty that she made it so far through the poorly written teen romance that she picked up on a whim. She buried her burning face in her satin pillow, which rested on her knees. Her first mistake was asking Blair for advice, her second was following it against her best judgments, but she had been truly desperate. Maka sighed. She was back to square one again in a way. The other night Maka had laid in bed for hours, mulling over just how inexperienced she was at the dating game she was thrown into against her will. With her motto being inexperience harbors ignorance, there was no way Maka would pass up a chance to learn something new, even despite the unconventionality of the lesson at hand. So Maka turned to the only person she knew with personal experience in the 'romance' department.

After a cringe worthy speech that sent a deep blush seeping across her face, Maka asked for a literary recommendation, and Blair knew just the book. If the title wasn't off-putting enough, Our Bleeding Hearts, the cover nearly stopped her from even attempting to read it. Sadly enough, Maka was hooked after the first few pages, sucked into a world of crappy plot lines and cringe worthy dialogue that left her wanting to know if James would accept Sarah despite her murky and confusing past, the last scene intimated at a yes. But she couldn't make it any farther, embarrassed at herself, she refused to read another word, instead digging her head under her pillow and waiting for her flushed face to return to normal.

She supposed it would all come with experience, she just wished it came from someone other than BlackStar.

Maka glanced at the analog clock nailed up on the wall, next to a slightly askew picture of her and her father. It almost time to meet everyone at the courts, for a dreaded round of basketball. Maka would have stayed home in a heartbeat had she been ignorant to the fact that Kima was coming along, but curiosity and jealously kicked her in the direction of the dreaded courts, or more like pulled her kicking and screaming. She gave the sorry novel one last look before making her way out her bedroom door, sincerely hoping she would not have act anywhere near the level at which the characters in the book had. It's fiction right? None of that really happens in real life, right? She wasn't too sure of herself.

The terrible courts loomed in the distance, her leaden feet becoming heavier with every step carrying her ever nearer to the closest thing that could be called a hell on earth. The gloomy cloud laden sky provided the perfect backdrop for this somber occasion, with the bouncing of basketballs becoming an appropriate soundtrack to the horror movie which she now stared in.

"Let's get this over with," Maka mumbled to herself, watching the one on one match between Soul and Kid, with Blackstar judging on the sidelines. The movements were alien to Maka, to her dribbling meant drooling and a layup sounded like a term belonging to a card game. None of it made any sense, yet it seemed as if the entire world besides her revered the sport. She sat on the green grated bench near the currently vacant end of the court, waiting for the game to end and for her own personal hell to begin. And there it was, walking up to her and waving a large smile plastered on its face almost mocking her. Kima walked over, or more like skipped over to her arms outstretched like a schoolgirl.

"Maka! It's so nice to see you again I haven't seen you in like forever," Kima nearly sang to her, a faint accent causing her to drop her Rs making forever sound like 'foeva', which Maka had to admit was kinda cute. Maka scooted over reluctantly signaling to her to sit down next to her which she quickly did.

"It's nice to see you too. How have you been?" Maka asked politely, though stiffly, but she didn't seem to notice her reluctance at conversation. With a swing of her blond hair and a bat of her eyes, she launched herself into a play by play of the last few days, but Maka got lost in between the new soap recipes and her sister's roach infestation problem, nodding along hoping she hadn't asked any questions in between her rambling. Half way through a story about a grooming mishap to her dog, in which the groomer misunderstood her and only shaved literally half her dog instead of half the length as he usually does, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty made their way over delivering Maka from the conversation. Liz and Kima rambled on to one another about makeup, clothes and the problems of being heavy chested, none of which Maka could relate to, with Tsubaki in the background listening politely as ever.

Soon the boys came over, already dripping with sweat from the humidity. Soul lifted up his shirt and wiped his face with the collar, giving Maka a small smile which she returned before Kima jumped onto him, kissing him deeply and causing Maka to turn away, half in annoyance and half in embarrassment.

"Yo, Maka, Liz come here, you're on my team, everyone else can make their way down to the other court aka the losing side!" BlackStar yelled across to Soul. Being so closely associated with him Maka couldn't help but to blush at his trash talk, or whatever it was he decided to be doing. Kid sighed as he picked up the orange ball and threw it over to Liz who didn't even attempt to catch it, and just let it sail past her face looking almost annoyed.

"Really Liz come on just catch it it's not that hard." Kid said in annoyance with his pale arms crossed. She shrugged her shoulders waving her hands in front of him.

"New manicure, I don't want anything to chip," she said simply. After a moment of thought Kid agreed.

"Yes, it's for the best them I suppose. Chipping a nail would be horrendous with the symmetry off, it would be tragic." Maka was getting a headache already. Someone finally went to retrieve the ball, in that time Black Star made his way over to Maka and whispered in her ear,

"Show her how it's done," he said and winked, making Maka blush despite willing herself not to, what was wrong with her.

The ball was thrown to BlackStar, Maka looked away for one second and realized the game had already started, with everyone running toward one end, so naturally Maka followed them. The ball zigzagged from Kid to BlackStar across the court, but Tsubaki intercepted it and sent it over to the other side of the court. She then threw it to Kima who panicked and threw it across the court and into the basket. Soul cheered and kissed her on the forehead and Tsubaki clapped for her as she stood there in awe.

"Dumb luck," BlackStar muttered to Kid as they worked out a new plan without consulting Maka at all, which she didn't mind so much. Soon the game resumed and somehow the ball ended up in Maka's hands, so she ran toward the nearest basket.

"Maka! Wrong way!" someone yelled to her and she tried to turn around but ran straight into Soul, whom she would have fallen on top of had he not moved at the last second and snatched the ball away from her with a half smile, seconds later scoring his team another point much the disappointment other own team. Maka sighed, dusting herself off the ground, as usual it was going to be one long game.

After losing twice and finding out that Kima had a natural affinity for the sport, they called it quits, gathering around one of the benches, catching their breath.

"That was fun wasn't it! Do you guys do this every week?" Kima asked. She was standing behind Soul what was sitting on the bench, hands wrapped around his shoulders.

"Depends, we try to but Maka normally sits out so teams are different," Black Star answered her almost apathetically, crushing a can in his fist and throwing it exactly into the silver trash receptacle near him. Which almost caused Maka to tell him off for not recycling, but it didn't seem like the kind of thing she should say in front of Kima. Soon, Kid Liz and Patty left, apparently on their way to an appointment with Kid's father, leaving the five of them alone. After a few minutes of miscellaneous talk they made plans to go out and eat, which Tsubaki refused saying she was planning on meeting a friend. After politely declining she left too, leaving just them four, much to Maka's displeasure. BlackStar didn't seem to care as usual joking around with the two.

They walked to the nearest eatery, which happened to be cute little café with green trimmed windows and comfy leather chairs. An uncomfortable silence ensued as the four of them sat down at a round table, Soul and Kima next to one another and Maka next to BlackStar.

"Isn't this just do cute? It's just like a double date how nice!" Kima tried, in attempt to get a conversation going, though Maka almost chocked on her drink upon the mention of double date, realizing then that their early meal was indeed that, a date. She groaned inwardly at the realization that she now had to act as if she was enjoying herself, when in reality she would much rather put out with a few more rounds of that dreaded sport, maybe.

Keeping the conversation going was not as hard Maka thought it would be; a social butterfly, Kima knew exactly what to say and when to say it, saving everyone from any awkward silences. She and Soul soon launched into their own conversation, leaving Maka to watch them over forkfuls of food. It was nice seeing Soul so happy, she just wished it was her sitting on that side of the table. For a minute she let herself believe it, that she had swapped places, with Soul's arm around her leaning up against him. The pit that resided permanently at the bottom of her stomach widened some more the more she let herself imagine.

"You're staring," BlackStar whispered in her ear so they wouldn't hear. She turned her head to him, a little too close to his for comfort willing the creeping blush from being to go away.

"Am not," she whispered back furiously, fiddling with the corner of her plaid napkin.

"It's so obvious anyone could tell from a mile away," he half joked.

"I'm not being obvious," she said without thinking, mentally kicking herself over her choice of words.

"Ha, so you admit to staring then, I told ya so," he whispered back grinning stupidly.

"Shut up," she responded while simultaneously elbowing him, which he only laughed at, making her laugh at his stupidity. Seeing that the two were still in deep conversation, he turned back to Maka, who was sipping at her drink looking anywhere but across the table. A thought suddenly occurred to Black Star.

"Hey, do you want to do something fun? 'Cause frankly I'm a bit bored," BlackStar asked her quietly, against the hum of conversations around them. A little apprehensive, but in agreement with him, she asked,

"What kind of fun?" He smiled, leaning in close so she could feel his blue hair on the side of her face, his arm pressed against hers, she blushed a little thinking back to her earlier reading which she was very quick to push back into the depths of her mind.

"Let's do some acting, make things more believable," he answered as if it cleared everything right up, but Maka was not following, so he went on.

" We are suppose to be in a relationship right, we're on a date for crying out loud so let's make it more believable," he stretched out the last few words in emphasis, "Come on, let's have some fun , make him a little jealous." he added at her sour expression. Maka looked over to the other two, contemplating the thought, with Soul now twirling a loose strand of her blond hair as they talked. Jealousy bubbled in that pit. Why not, she thought, she had nothing to lose. She had to admit that it did seem kind of fun, and she knew that she could some of that now.

"Fine," Maka mumbled as she moved closer to BlackStar, leaning against him, who chuckled at her eagerness. He put arm around her, causing Maka to stiffen momentarily. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him, feeling a little uncomfortable at his closeness again, but grew accustomed to it quickly. He began to twirl her pigtail between his fingers, a slight gesture that spoke for itself that the two were more than just friends. He seemed so relaxed and at peace she was almost surprised, but then again he must have had tons of experience with the girls who went around drooling after him.

Maka noticed that Soul looked over to them, doing a double take before staring at BlackStar's arm around her, which must have been a sight to anyone who knew them personally. Maka tried hard not to give any intimation to her reluctance. She was getting uncomfortably hot, despite the café's air conditioned interior. Maybe it was the glances from Soul, or the closeness to BlackStar, but she could hardly bear it, beads of sweat starting to roll down her neck.

Kima became her saving grace for once, suggesting that they leave soon because she had something to show them all. After quickly finishing up their meals and throwing out napkins and the matching wrappers, they followed her out blindly, all a bit weary at her eagerness. BlackStar raised his eyebrows at her skipping figure ahead of them, as he slipped his hand into hers, warm fingers surrounding hers.

"Why can't you be that happy Maka, you're so gloomy compared to her," BlackStar commented as she waved them over to follow her faster. Maka just rolled her eyes at him, and quickened her pace just a little. Kima stopped ahead of them waiting for the three to catch up, Soul seeming just as perplexed if not slightly apathetic to her excitement. Once they reached her she lock arms with Maka, and skipped ahead of the boys, out of hearing distance, more or less dragging Maka along.

"uh, what are doing," Maka tried to say as nicely as possible, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. Sensing her annoyance, Kima quickly let go of her arm, slightly embarrassed herself.

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you alone you know, I didn't want them to hear," she answered with an apologetic smile. Maka just nodded for her to go on, looking back to see the BlackStar and Soul outlined against the darkening sky, talking to one another; she could barely hear their voices, let alone what was being said, much to her disappointment.

"So, I was thinking that since you know Soul so well you could give me some advice you know, relationship advice-"Maka stopped her there.

"I'm not the right person to be asking this of you know I've never been in a relationship before… this one I mean," she added quickly, Maka was surprised that Kima was asking her, Maka bookworm Albarn, for advice, when she was the very near the definition of perfection. It seemed very out of place, as if someone was playing a trick on her, to which Maka had a faint suspicion, which vanished at Kima's sincere slightly worried tone. She looked away slightly, as if too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

"Really, I couldn't tell. You and BlackStar have a really nice thing going; I just wish it was like that with me and Soul, you know? He's just been a little, I don't know distant for some reason," she looked up to Maka searching her placid face for answers, "Maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, he's been so nice to me and I just want to make him happy." Maka now felt immense guilt settling over like a cloud. She had been so nasty to this girl, who just wanted the same thing she did, Maka knowing how she felt yet making it difficult for her nonetheless. The guilt settled, adjusting her attitude slightly.

"I've known Soul for years and I can tell you he's always been like that. He hides his feelings a lot so don't worry if he doesn't share your excitement for things, but I can tell you that he really enjoys being with you. Honestly I'm a bit jealous at having to share him with you, being so close to him for so many years and I think he's just trying to make sure he doesn't upset me spending so much time with you. But don't worry about it you two make a good pair," Maka was amazed at the fluidity of her ramble, even more so surprised that she meant every word of it. She could tell that Kima felt her sincerity, giving a genuine smile that made her feel better and dispersed the cloud of guilt over her just a little. Feeling a little lighter, she smiled back, not in sadness, nor annoyance, just smiled.

"You really think that? I'm sorry for being so clingy to him, he was your friend first and I just keep forgetting it. Honest, I'm a little jealous of you too," she giggled nervously, "You're like so perfect and so smart it gets on my nerves a little. Plus you get to share an apartment with Soul. I'm just worried he might one day wake and see you as something more than a friend." Maka gave her a reassuring smile.

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about, I can assure you he's never seen me as anything more than a friend." A pang of realization hit her at the truth behind her words; Soul never did her as anything more so why was she trying so hard when they were happy?

"Thanks Maka that means a lot really. I just wish that Soul will someday look at me like BlackStar looks at you," she said before turning around and running back to the other two before Maka could even open her mouth to ask her what she meant. Soon she forgot the comment, as she waited on them to catch up. BlackStar smiled at her when he saw her, and she momentarily forgot about her situation and smiled back, the short heart to heart must have done the trick.

"So, where exactly are you taking us again?" Soul asked Kima, who seemed to be in deep thought. She snapped out of it quickly, now frantic.

"Oh, no I can't believe I forgot, you have to come quickly come on, come on, come on," she nearly yelled as she grabbed Soul by the arms and pulled him forward laughing. BlackStar continued his sluggish pace so Maka grabbed him by the hand too, pulling him along to keep up with the other two. She looked back over her shoulder at him, taken aback by her sudden change in mood.

"Where are we going?" he asked her as they ran after them, feet pounding on the cement walkway as it to the beat of drums, or even hearts. Maka smiled over to him.

"No idea, but I think it will be worth it, just come on," she answered and tightened her grip on his hand, which she was very aware of. They ran not much farther when Kima came to a sudden stop in a wooded area of town Maka had never been to before. Despite not knowing what time it was, she could tell it was nearly sundown from the angled sunlight streaming in from lower branches of the trees, creating a dappled pattern of sunlight on the dark concrete, which resembled the night sky.

"I think we're right on time," she sung to the confused trio, almost bouncing with excitement.  
"Time for what?" Blackstar asked, though not annoyed in anyway, just curious like the rest of them. She thought for a minute as if deciding something.

"Okay come on, this way," she said diving into the nearest bush and making her way through, "Come on, quick!" she yelled at them who hadn't moved a inch. They began to follow her; Maka realized that she still was holding hands with BlackStar, who also didn't seem to notice, too involved with decoding what was happening. She slipped out of his grasp, to make her through the thicket behind Soul. What she saw amazed her.

She was standing a precipice that dropped down probably more than a hundred feet to a small valley below. Looking across the skyline she could see the entirety of death city stretched across the endless void, buildings jutting out in silhouettes against a painted sky. The sun set right in the middle of two of the tallest buildings, an enormous drooling sphere, amplified with the angle. It was beautiful, the painted color study stretching into the darkness of space, interrupted only by pinpricks of light right above her head. Maka was amazed that such a view existed, even more so that anyone had found it, let alone shared it with others. Maka looked over to Kima and Soul, who hand their arms around each other, watching the sunset in a peaceful silence, and strangely enough Maka felt just at peace. She suddenly remembered BlackStar,

"Isn't it so pretty," said Maka, lamely grinning wide, for words could not come close to describing the sublimity of the moment. She looked over to him after a second, surprised to find his eyes watching her and not the sky,

"Yeah, it's beautiful," he said before turning to glance at the view for a second before turning back to her.

"What is it, why are you staring at me?" She asked only half interested in what he was doing, before turning back, a little distracted by the scene in front of them, almost at wonder that he wasn't also transfixed at the changing landscape before them, now drowning in darkness as the last few tendrils of light made their way over the top of the city. In a way he was transfixed.

Maka turned back again to him, almost annoyed that he wasn't enjoying the view like he should be, when suddenly she felt his hand gently but quickly pull her to him, his mouth on hers just a second after. He held her by the waist with both hands, kissing her deeply with eyes closed. Maka, hardly registering what was happening remained still for a second before realizing that it was part of the game, he was just making it more believable, just pretending. So she tried to pretend to, this time to set Kima at ease instead of making anyone jealous. Maka was shocked at how natural kissing him back was, how simple it is. Soon the other two faded away just a little, along with the day's events and the view, leaving her focused on just one thing: BlackStar. She could feel the beating of his heart, which surprisingly matched the fast pace of hers. She could feel the heat spreading thought her wherever they touched, like small electric shocks running up her arms, which were a little awkwardly placed around his neck. Soon she couldn't breathe and pulled away with a small gasp, maybe in surprise or because of lack of air. She looked over to BlackStar, a little flustered at the sudden action. His face was painted a light pink, contrasting sharply with the blue stands of his hair. It must have been the strange lighting; he wasn't actually blushing was he? She thought.

Looking over her shoulder, Maka realized that neither of the two had been watching the show the two had put up for them, playing a bit at Maka's disappointment.

"Oh, I don't think they were watching," she attempted sheepishly, not a hundred percent sure on how to act after their little scene. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers, lingering heat from where he had touched her haunted her, not letting her forget, and causing her face to heat up in a perpetual blush that she hoped would be masked by the growing darkness.

"I know," BlackStar said a little too simply, looking away as if distracted by something. His hand went up to his hair, ruffling it up a little while Maka stood there waiting for more words that would never come. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts, none of which made any sense at the moment, she pushed it all down and decided to mull them all over later, instead sighing and taking in the scene and setting it all to memory. The rolling breeze set her to a strange peace it seemed she hadn't felt for months.

"BlackStar?" she said suddenly surprising even herself. He turned to her expectantly, but she had nothing to say.

"What?" he asked after a few seconds of silence, eyebrows drawn together in slight confusion. Maka colored a little, not really knowing what she was doing.

"I don't know. I just felt like saying your name," she responded lamely, because it was the truth. He rolled his eyes at her and looked over to the others, before motioning with his head to make their way back out.

Maka followed him back for a while, watching his figure a few feet in front of her. She was still in a strange state of confusion, her mind bouncing back and forth from the day's events, mainly the latter few in attempt to make sense of it all. She crushed dry leaves as she walked, earning a note of satisfaction with every crunch of the sun baked wisps. The discolored sidewalk contrasted sharply with the sleek new ambiance the rows of new apartments had along the street adjacent to hers, like blood on white cloth. She ran up to his side after a few more moments of thought and they walked back side by side to her own apartment, on their way to his. She was very aware of how close they were, with his arm occasionally brushing against her own, but she thought it rude to step away.

They soon reached her place; the light she had forgot to turn off in her room shed more light on the exterior than the old worn streetlamps ever could. BlackStar slowed down, stoic as ever when alone with her, but did not entirely stop as Maka was about to go up the stairs.

"Wait, BlackStar…" she blurted out, before he could turn and walk away. He stopped and turned to her, his hands in his pockets, a look of amusement across his face as if he had just been told a mildly pleasing joke. He tilted his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he waited for her to say something, scold him most likely for before, or lecture him a little. He had been waiting for it the entire walk back. Maka walked over to him, expressionless, and he braced himself out of habit.

Before he could register what had happened, Maka was already down on her heels. She had quickly pecked him on the side of his mouth, causing her to color slightly and for them both to remember what had happened only minutes before. There was a small pause before she spoke, a little uncertainly in his expression.

"I wanted to … thank you for doing this for me," she started, playing nervously with the hem of her jacket, "I know it must be annoying for you to do this and I realized I haven't really thanked you for it yet." She was a little lost for words and for the first time realizing that even carefree BlackStar might be having trouble with the strange situation as she was. She looked up to his formally expressionless face and was surprised to see a twinge of sadness cross it before he smiled back, the bewilderment from before gone.

"It's not a big deal you know, it's been really fun. No need to thank me- the looks Soul and everyone else gives us is thanks enough!" He laughed afterward, through a little too loudly, as if trying to fill up the space outside her apartment and drone out the slight echo his words had.

"Well, thanks anyway. See you soon," Maka added anyway, not too sure about what to do next.

"Yup, see ya. 'night then," he added as she went up her steps, turning back to him as she placed her hand on the brass knob.

"Good night," she said quietly, but she was sure he heard because his hand, which was on the corner of his mouth resting on the place where she had kissed him, came up in a curt wave before he turned on a heel and walked down the street flooded with weak lamp light. He sent dust airborne as he kicked a stone down the sidewalk, occasionally stirring moths as his receding figure went further down the street. Despite him being so far, she could still see how his fingers went up to the side of his lips as he faded to black.

 **Hi everyone, as always thank you so much for reading yet another chapter. I'm really glad so many people took the time to comment, it really is a pleasure to read them and to know that a few people like what I'm going. I'm sorry that updates have been a little slow recently, you can blame the summer work piling up, (or the bad student who waited until the last minute to start it, aka me) but I'll try to get the next chapters up ASAP. Anyway thanks again, until next time!**


	5. The Search is Over

"Sometimes what you're looking for comes when you're not looking at all."

Just as any other day, there was no way of knowing how exactly this seemingly unremarkable day would unfold. But had she somehow gotten a glimpse into the future there may have been a good chance she would never have left her bed, that is depending on the which portion of the day she glimpsed into. But as it always has been and will be forever and ever, the future will be an arm's reach, just like a nice dream dissolving in the sunlight of a new day.

For the first time in a long time Maka felt refreshed and energized as she awoke from a peaceful sleep. Shaking off the few particles of sleepiness from her shoulders she was ready to take on a new day. Throwing off the covers and walking out her door at a skip, she kicked Soul's door twice before turning into the bathroom with a pivot of her heel. The bright light that normally shone through her sleepy shell instead bounced off her as she initiated her morning routine, pulling her hair into two perfectly even pigtails with a satisfactory slap of the elastic. She pulled on the string of the blinds to spy the weather: dark, dreary and wet. It may not have been the sunshine and birds she was expecting, but it wouldn't put a damper on her spirits in any way. Maka flew through the kitchen at record speeds, setting down two cups of steaming coffee, one for Soul and one for herself, as became the norm after so many years, and got to work scanning over the daily paper while eating a slice of dry toast. Half way into an equally dry article about the failing busing system in Death City, she heard a shuffle of steps down the hall.

"How are you so awake," Soul asked as he stepped from the arch of the kitchen door and fell into a chair, jumping on the yellow cup of coffee which he started sipping carefully, "thanks." Maka set down the paper without folding it and drained her half filled cup in one swing with a satisfied breath.

"Big day, I'm helping Professor Stein sort the Specimens Office," Maka cheerfully responded, grabbing her chipped mug and setting it in the sink in one fluid motion as she had done a million times before. Soul tipped the chair back on two legs and Maka pushed it forward roughly, setting it back on all four legs again.

"Doesn't Kid normally do that? And why are you so excited about cleaning up a closet anyway, it's not like you don't do enough cleaning here anyway," he said while rubbing sleep from droopy eyes. Maka stared at his disheveled hair before answering,

"Yeah, but have you seen the stuff in there? The Specimens Office is where all the odds and ends get dumped: extra textbooks, original lab reports by the best and greatest to ever graduate- it's basically a goldmine." She watched him bring the mug up to his lips.

"I always thought of it as a dusty trash receptor," Soul mumbled and Maka tapped him lightly on the head with the now rolled up newsprint. She had fished an old raincoat from out of the hall closet, tan with salmon buttons, and grabbed a spare gray umbrella along with the two books she would return on the way to the academy. She gripped the covers in one hand and held the umbrella by the top with another.

"I'm leaving now, I might not be back until late so don't wait on me," Maka said to his slouching figure over her shoulder.

"If you find any actual gold pocket it for me, you hear," he yelled back and Maka rolled her eyes out of habit as she passed under the front door frame before opening the umbrella- old habits die hard- making her way out into the sodden streets. The clouds overhead pressed down ominously as if trying to fall right through a paper sky, sending rhythmic sheets of rain thumping down on Maka's now opened umbrella. At a walk-jog, Maka made it the library in no time, opening the heavy oaken door with chilled fingers and stepping into the wonderful atmosphere.

Noticing no one at the main desk, Maka made her way over the drop off bin on the far side of the library, using all her will power to keep herself from going down the rows and rows of books that were just waiting to be opened and consumed. She dropped each in with a sigh at the thumps and looked almost gloomily at the row beside her, but she refused to be sidetracked.

Making her way back across the discolored carpeting, she noticed something out of place at the now occupied front desk. BlackStar was standing there, a book laying between him and the librarian. Maka slowed her pace, about to say something when he turned around to her, a face surprise meet her followed by a masked nervousness.

"Heya Maka, what are you doing here this early, I know I said you should make this your new home, but I never thought you would actually take me seriously," he said with less gusto than normal.

"Funny," she answered dryly, "I'm going to help Professor Stein actually and I thought to return a few books before going there." He looked her up and down before answering, sending shivers down her spine.

"Let me guess, they're in that cart over there?" he joked again, this time more confidently, as he pointed to a book cart piled higher than two of her standing end to end. She ignored the comment and looked over to the book between him and the librarian who was yelling into the phone on the wall.

"Why are you here?" she asked only half interested, eager to leave and make her way over to the academy, so not to have the past week's events flash before her eyes as he watched her.

"You know, detention stuff, the ordinary thing. I just don't know where to put back this one book," he said as he flipped over the cover before Maka could even read it.

"You know, I can help you." she told him, hand outstretched waiting for him to hand her the thick leather bound book. He scratched his head and adverted his eyes before saying,

"Nah, that's fine. I'm just wasting time now; I don't really feel like doing this you know. Maybe if I annoy her enough she'll kick me out." It wasn't very sound logic to her, but what really was at this point. She decided to pick her battles from now on, and this didn't seem worth her time. With a faked eye roll Maka made her way to the exit doors, which was a little less grand than the front entrance, and slightly sadder with its peeling paint and nicked bottoms.

"Whatever, see you around," she responded and waited a second for him to answer before going out into the storm.

"Yeah, see ya," he said, his eyes following her out.

As Maka made her way down the soggy city street, she was surprised at how perfectly her heart matched the fast paced thumping of her feet hitting the ground, sending slivers of rainwater splashing around her ankles. She placed her cold fingers up against her warm face before turning onto the next street. A crack of thunder caused her to speed up, never much liking the sound. She wasn't afraid of it anymore, just slightly unnerved at her childhood fear.

It wasn't before long that she reached the white marble steps of the academy, the giant candles that rested on the roof temporarily extinguished by the steady shower. Making her way up the steps and down the winding hall brought her a sense of peacefulness, similar to that of the library's. Here she felt as others might feel in their favorite love seat, or while watching a poignant movie; she felt at home.

Turning the heavy brass knob of the door labeled Specimens Office, she was slightly disappointed to find it locked. She curtly knocked twice on the plain door, still dripping water from her raincoat and flattening down moist hair. It suddenly opened, revealing Stein sitting on his favorite chair, in one hand holding a jar full of eyes, the other was holding two coffee stained paperbacks and a thin cigarette between his pinky and ring fingers. He smiled at seeing her, moving slightly to let her in as she shed her sodden coat outside the room, letting go into a crumbled heap.

"I'm glad you showed, I was wondering how I could possibly do this on my own. It's dull work, are you sure you want to be here instead of doing something fun?" he asked her right before he jerked his head to one side, cracking it back into place, "ahh much better."

"Oh yes professor, I actually kind of excited," Maka answered as she scanned the cluttered room, wondering what secrets these walls contained.

"If you say so…" he rolled back to a dusty pile of odds and ends it seemed to be sorting, taking a long drag of the cigarette before extinguishing it in a half empty soda bottle, "You can start by sorting the bookcase. Anything dating back before 30 years ago just throw away or keep. Anything written by Berstanvine please incinerate, I can't stand the pompous fool; Livingston on the other hand place on the on the top shelf in the back corner, oh and we can't forget about Gerring…"

Maka leaned against the white painted door of the Specimens room, stretching her neck side to side in attempt to get rid a kink that developed from the hours of organizing. Her arms were crossed over her moist undershirt, slightly damp with sweat. She smiled viewing her work from afar; nearly the entire room had been sorted through. Stacks of old, moldy, coffee stained or ripped up books were stacked in one corner near a computer desk housing a fossil on its weathered surface. Her own dauntingly tall stack of miscellaneous textbooks and original works stood next to her, almost her height. Stein spun around on his chair twice before turning to her, cigarette in mouth resting between pale slits. He rested his arms on the back of the chair, which threatened to tip it over with the slightest movement.

"Well it looks like we got through a decent amount today. Nice work," he said with the cigarette still in his mouth. Maka smiled at the compliment, pleased with herself as well, "Go home and get some rest, it's already seven." He turned around and fiddled with the mouse of the stubborn piece of equipment. Slightly overcome with exhaustion, Maka decided to do as he said, leaving most of her treasure pile where it was, only taking her favorite titles with her. Picking up her now dry coat and umbrella, Maka made her way back to the apartment a little weighed down by the books. The skies had cleared slightly, from the dark ominous clouds of the morning, to a lighter gray that sent down only a fine mist.

Maka made it home in record time, eager to set her things down, eat a quick meal and peruse her treasures. She opened the door to the apartment with some difficulty and shut it with her elbow as she slipped off her boots. As she did, Maka noticed another pair next to Soul's, flower printed and shiny. Surprised at her sudden apathy toward them she made her way to her room, walking lightly so not to let the two know she was home. Making her way down the hall, she passed the living room and two bodies on the sofa. A muted movie played in the background, the actors moving their mouths silently while the two fooled around. Maka couldn't help but to stare at her hands in his hair, taking tufts and pulling gently as she laid on top of him. Soul, looking less pleased, but not annoyed or repulsed had his arms locked around her small waist, bringing her in for another quick kiss.

Shuffling as quietly as humanly possible when carrying twenty five pounds of books, she wasn't surprised that they both turned around almost simultaneously at her steps. She cringed inwardly as she attempted an awkward hello.

"Hey, Maka it's great to see you again. Soul invited me over for the night, I hope you don't mind." Kima said without any sign of a blush as she quickly got up and Soul righted himself, only glancing at Maka as he ruffled his hair a bit. Maka was surprised at her words. Staying for the night? Why would Soul ask her to do that, were they really so emotionally invested in one another that they did that sort of thing? Maka wondered, residual jealously threatened to boil over, but she repressed it with some difficulty. Maka cleared her throat.

"Oh, that's great," she said dryly, "perfect even, I'm staying over at someone's tonight so you two can be alone." Lying through her teeth was something Maka hated to do, but recent events had sharpened those skills. A look of disappointment, or maybe relief crossed Kima's face, was it bad that Maka couldn't tell the difference? She didn't know what overtook her to lie, maybe it was the realization that Kima would be staying for the night, sleeping on the couch- in Soul's bed, it made her slightly sick at the thought, and she wondered what was wrong with her. Maybe she should stay, make sure Kima was okay and not forced into anything she didn't want to do, but then again Soul was a good guy right, he wouldn't force her into doing anything would he? She had always imagined it would be the other way around, but now she wasn't so sure. Taking another look over her, a thin cardigan over a tank top, Maka realized a girl like her knew her way around, she would be fine spending the night here, Maka on the other may not be.

Maka walked into her room before either could say anything and quickly packed a bag with the first things she found laying around. She picked up what looked like an old pajama set and a change of undergarments, a book and a small pillow before heading out her room, purple tote bag gripped in a fist. Trying not to think of anything, she made her way down the hall, pausing when she got to the kitchen. Soul stood near the doorway alone, the light shining through the bathroom door told her Kima must have just got in. Alone for a moment, she just stared at him, not sure what to say as his annoyed stance.

"What?" she asked sharply as if she had just received a stinging slap. He unfolded his arm, letting them hang down limp at his sides before quietly asking,  
"You know, you don't have to go. Kima's just staying the night nothing more." Maka colored a little at his explanation, as if he was pitying her in a way, somehow knowing she was upset with the situation.

"I never said you two couldn't… you know do whatever, why does it matter what I think anyway, it's your relationship not mine," she responded quietly, keeping her rising temper under control.

"It does matter," he answered a little exasperated, "Maka you've been acting weirdly for a while now. You get angry so easily and you hardly talk to me anymore, what happened?" Maka didn't answer, so he went on.

"And then practically out of the blue, you and BlackStar- I mean he's cool and all, but you two hated each other…"

"My relationship is my business; I have my reasons for this. Don't act like you know everything." She said hotly, placing the bag into her other hand.

"I'm not, I'm just worried about you. Whose are you staying at anyway?" he asked taking a step closer to her.

"Tsubaki's." Maka answered without thinking. Damn it, she thought, now she messed up. Soul raised an eyebrow.  
"So… BlackStar's? I don't think that's a good idea." She could almost hear the condescending tone that should have come with those words, and for some reason it upset her more that she hadn't heard it. It wasn't as if she should have felt a hit at her pride over the comment about her faked relationship, but she felt it a need to defend BlackStar.

"Look, it's my business what I do with my relationship, I don't need you butting in, take a look at your own before you start trying to fix mine."

"That's not- That's not what I meant Maka. You know that," a little guilt clouded over her, "Everything with Kima and I is perfectly fine, don't worry. I just want you to be able to say the same." Anger bubbled in her once more. What did he know about anything? A sound of disgust involuntarily escaped from her lips before she said,

"'perfectly fine?' Is that what you think it is? You know what Soul, do whatever, I don't care what you do on your own time and I don't see why it's become such a problem now, so let's just stop okay. Do whatever!" Before Maka could make it too far she felt a strong grip on her forearm yank her back. Too shocked to speak for a moment, she just stared up into his searching eyes.

"Let me go," she whispered furiously through clench teeth as she yanked back her arm and Soul dropped his to his side, an apologetic look crossed his face.

"Maka, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, say those things… what did you mean just before, is Kima upset about something?" Maka couldn't believe his nerve. She turned from him partially in disgust and partially in strange jealously.

"Why don't you just ask her yourself?" Maka quietly retorted as she heard Kima open the door and began to call over to her. Not in the state of mind to talk, Maka quickly slipped on her damp boots, not pausing to put them on the right way so her heels hung out of the tops and flattened the sides, but she didn't care. With a bang of the door and without a look back Maka quickly walked in the direction of Tsubaki's apartment hoping she would let her stay for the night.

The dark clouds were back, resting low against the glassy sky. To alleviate some pent of anger, Maka stomped in every pool of water collecting on the uneven sidewalk. Soon her ankles were wet, the water sunk in through her pants. As a sudden chill went up her spine Maka suddenly realized she had forgotten to throw on her coat, but it was too late to head back now and retrieve it, her pride would not let her. Thunder crackled above the blanket of clouds, making her jump with every sound bang of the heavens. Her childhood fears flashed back with every flash of lightning and she doubled her pace to almost a jog, not even taking car to circumspect the puddles scattered about the empty street.

She almost missed the apartment, hidden away in the corner of the block. Making her way up the concrete steps, she banged the brass doorknocker twice, _thump thump_. When the green door didn't open, she banged again, _thump, thump, thump_ , harder, waiting anxiously as thunder rolled overhead. She bounced on the bottoms of her heels in slight annoyance. The door suddenly opened with a swing outward and almost hit her.

"I told you before I don't want to buy- wait Maka, what are you doing here?" BlackStar stood in the doorway, in only a pair of boxers. It was apparent he had just gotten out of the shower. He stood in the door way barefoot with one hand on the door. A look of confusion and surprise crossed his face when he saw her. Maka tried not to blush as he stared through her.

"Is Tsubaki here?" She asked hopelessly, shifting the purple bag into her other hand, sending streams of water onto the wet concrete. BlackStar held the door open and moved over to let her in,

"Uh, no she's not. She's staying at family friend's I think. Come in through," Maka paused for a moment weighting her options, none of which were favorable at this point. She forced herself to walk in, feet feeling surrounded in lead. She was almost as wet as BlackStar, her clothes clung to her and she felt like she was suffocating.

"Thanks," she said quietly, unsure of what to do next. BlackStar scratched his head for a moment as she tried not to stare at his bare chest. She could probably cut the awkwardness between then with a knife.

"Let me get you a towel," he said before running off down the hall. Maka surveyed the room as she took off her sodden shoes and placed them close to the door, repressing the urge to run. Not much had changed since the last time she visited, the walls were still an off white, and the same picture of Camilla blossoms adorned the wall. He came right back, thankfully wearing a shirt, yellow towel in hand which he offered out to her. Maka took it from him gratefully, and attempted to dry herself off as best she could as BlackStar leaned against the wall waiting for her to say something. Maka tried to seem absorbed in the drying while racking her brain for something to say. He spoke first,

"So, is everything okay?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned. The patter of the rain distracted her; she didn't feel completely there as if a part of her had melted off on her walk over.

"Oh, yeah, yeah everything's fine," she answered too quickly, deciding to continue explaining after a pause, "Kima's just staying the night and I thought they would like some space." The words hung in the air for a moment, and BlackStar moved his head to the side as if trying to figure something out but said nothing. The towel hung loosely at her side, drying off was futile at his point. His piercing look bent her will in a strange way, making her feel as if she owed him some sort of explanation at her intrusion.

"I sorta panicked I don't know. I just felt so…suffocated over there," she trailed off not sure of how to explain these feelings or as to why BlackStar would care. But a switch flipped in her as it dawned on her that nothing would change, soon at least. She had no one left to impress with the game that only managed to make her feel worse. It had lasted long enough to now slowly fade from everyone's memory, she could end it today; she would end it today.

"You don't have to explain, I get it. Just crash here for the night or whenever you need to," he said so lively that it almost sounded faked, forced out. She twisted the towel in her hands.

"Do you mind if I shower really fast? I'm just soaked to the bone," Maka asked him in attempt to get a few minutes to herself, to collect the falling pieces before they piled up faster than she could put back together. He jerked his head in the direction of the bathroom before saying,

"Yeah, of course, make yourself at home. You want anything to eat?"

"No, but thanks. I'll be quick." Maka didn't think she could stomach anything at the moment, despite not eating since lunch. She silently made her way to the bathroom and closed the door behind her mechanically, conscious of the fact that stared at her the entire way down. The hard linoleum floor made her feet cold as she fiddled with the foreign shower knobs, twisting in vain to get the warm water running. Soon she was able to get a hot stream of water pouring and she began undressing. She didn't know what it was about showering in other people's houses, but she had always been slightly on edge about it, as if someone could pop in at any minute. She stepped under the streams of water and stood there for a few moments, the hot water pounding on her back calmed her, melted all the stresses of her day.

She let out a sigh and tried not to think of him taking a shower just minutes before her, as she spun around slowly and warmed her body under the spray. She drew lines on the fogged up glass, a luxury she was without with the curtains in her own bathroom. She drew a star, a flower, a heart and quickly wiped it away with the palm of her hand.

With a towel wrapped around her she turned to the mirror and brought her hair up in a pigtail for the millionth time. Her reflection in the mirror, heavy with condensation, doing little to help her evenly part her hair. When pulling up the other pigtail the elastic snapped, sending it flying across the bathroom, causing it to land somewhere near a pile of cloths haphazardly thrown around a hamper.

Maka quickly dressed in the clothes she brought with her, wishing she had brought something nicer looking than the plaid shorts and t-shirt her bag contained. She walked over to the end of the room and picked up the snapped band with a sigh, taking the other pigtail out and letting the strands of hair fall around her shoulders in wet tendrils. She paused before turning the door knob, and noticed the corner of a book sticking out from under the laundry. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and recognized the leather bound cover immediately from earlier in the morning. She read the title, _Wavelength Theory, the Absolute Fundamentals._ She flipped through it realizing that this must have been the reason BlackStar stepped foot in the library in the morning. She quietly set the book down, slightly ashamed to have pried, but not so much as to leave the note she spied sticking out of a pant pocket alone. She picked the think paper up tentatively, turning it over as she decided whether or not she should pry, the back held the answer. Her name was written on the top corner of the folded papers in a scrawl, so she slowly opened the folded pages so not to cause a rustling noise. She held them up to her face, leaning with a shoulder against the tiled wall as she read. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she scanned the first page and then the next. The pages seemed to be notes from class, it certainly wasn't one she had attended.

Maka placed the first page back on top and read the first few lines carefully, the coarse notebook paper crinkling softly in her hands. And she suddenly realized why the notes seemed foreign- they were taken the day she was absent, a few days ago. But why would BlackStar take notes? She had never seem him lift a pencil in class, his sheer physical ability was the only thing was the only thing keeping him from failing out. She folded the soft paper up once again, tracing her name with her thumb as she thought. A sudden giddy thought took over her as smile slowly made its way across her face.

Maka yanked the door open and stepped out into the cool dry air of the hallway, and made her way across the wooden floorboards and into the living room where BlackStar sat on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. He stood up at the sound of her approaching footfalls and froze for a moment. He stared at the paper gripped in her fist and an unreadable wave crossed his face as he stepped form around the couch and tried to take the folded papers from Maka, who held them behind her back, still grinning like a maniac. He feigned grabbing if from he left and snatched the folded bundle from her hand.

"Hey, give those back they are for me right?" she asked him teasingly as he colored slightly, Maka was sure she saw it this time.

"Shut up. I felt bad you were sick and I know how crazy you are about school stuff and I don't want you to get behind. That's all," he answered quickly trying to pocket the papers but realizing that his pants had no pockets, so it remained squeezed in his fist as he stood facing her.

"Why didn't you just give it me before?" Maka asked him, curious as to why he went through all the trouble but didn't go all the way through. He glanced to his left quickly, his hand went up to his hair for a moment and brought it down slowly, obviously searching for words. The floorboards creaked underfoot as Maka waited in suspended curiosity.

"They're no good you know. I don't know how to take notes or anything and I asked Tsubaki to lend you hers 'cause they would be better," he trailed off, this was the first time Maka had ever seen him act so shyly. This was a day for many firsts so it seemed.

And then it hit her, a freight train barreling down a dusty track sending her spiraling off into the void. She blinked and saw him for the first time; damp blue hair hanging loosely in the yellow light of the corner lamp, the nervous smile playing on lips she had never really payed attention to, the mischievous upturn of his eyebrows that made him so approachable, she took it all in. She took a step to him, now only a few inches away, mind abuzz. That glimmer in his eyes when his met hers. She placed a hand on the collar of his shirt and gripped it. The smile lines etched deep in his face, slowly fading. She pulled him in, now centimeters away, hot breath on the side of her face. Calloused fingers resting on the small of her back. She closed the space between them. The scorching feeling of his lips on hers. The gentle curve of his neck. The way her body fit in against his. He suddenly pulled away.

"You don't have to. I never said you had to," he whispered, a note of sadness underlying his words. Maka blushed, but was not a loss for words. She smiled shyly.

"I wanted to. No one has ever done anything so sweet. BlackStar I really-" those few words were enough for him. Everything else was lost in the air. He roughly pulled her into him, closing the rift between then once and for all. Her fingers slid up his neck and arms rested around it.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," He murmured in her ear, sending a creeping blush up her neck and into her cheeks. She could feel the smile playing on his lips and he kissed her deeply. It felt different somehow than before, sweeter. She hoped he could feel her smile too. His hands moved up and down her back as they embraced, gasping at air every so often, but never for more than half a second, both afraid that if they paused for to long it would all be over. Maka was faintly aware of the pounding rain on the skylight above, though it may have have been either of their hearts racing faster with every passing second.

Entire lifetimes passed them as they embraced, the entirety of the world faded out slowly replaced with hot breath and hot skin. He led her over to the couch slowly and they continued on the worn woolen seats, neither quite sure where his own body began or ended. Both his hand where in her hair, fingers gently pulling down at strands of loose blond hair, sending stray droplets dripping on her bare legs. Maka was consumed with something she could not quite define, something had never felt for anyone before. This was the feeling she had been searching for, she just wished that so much time had not been wasted looking for it in the wrong place. Despite it all, the last few weeks, the tears, the awkwardness, she had found it. She wanted to laugh and cry in relief, and very well might have if she wasn't so caught up in the physicality. Her own body felt foreign to her as his hands glided about her body.

Maka placed her hands on the bottom of his shirt and slowly pulled it up. BlackStar pulled his lips away from hers and placed his hands on her own. She looked into his eyes, happy that they held the same shroud of intoxication as hers certainly did.

"No, we don't have to. I'm happy with this." The corner of his mouth went up in a half smile as his hands gently pushed down on hers, which would not budge. She had to admit, it was very unlike herself, but her thoughts were strangely lucid. She finally understood the sappy book she had read, the strangle feeling of need it told of became clear to her now. It was amazing how a few hours could completely change her entire outlook on life, but she had stopped trying to understand it for once. For the first time in her life she would do what felt right, no number crunching, no analysis, or weighing of options; she was suddenly sick of it all, wondering why she subjected herself to such madness for so many years.

"I'm happy with you," the truth of her words shocked her more than him. His hands fell away unsure of what to do, the tables turning oh so ironically. She moved onto his lap, legs placed on either side of his. She pulled his shirt over his head with his help and dropped it on the side of the coach where it lay forgotten, as she was pulled into him again. He kissed her roughly now, hands sliding up her own shirt slowly, burning her skin wherever he touched her.

The pitter-patter of the rain drowned everything out. It fell slowly at first, droplets hitting the glass of the skylight in a cacophony of thumps. It soon fell harder and harder, never quite letting up until flashes of lightning broke the strangle serenity, accompanied by waves of thunder soon after,which shook the very foundations of the building. It then slowly subsided again, the gentle patter of before continuing incessantly throughout the night.

Maka laid against him now, his strong arms enveloped her as she listened to the thin silence stretched between him. After what seemed like hours she moved her head slightly to look up to his eyes which were still open. She smiled sweetly at him.

"You're shirt's on backwards," she said softly with a strangle giggle as she looked to the tag that hung out from the front of his gray t-shirt. He smiled back at her, but didn't move.

"I really like you, I just wanted you to know," he suddenly said. She sat up next to him and crossed her bare arms.

"That is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say,"she responded a hint of mockery added in to soften the words, as she smiled down to him.

"How so?" He asked, one hand propping up his head so he could look up at her, disheveled hair sticking up in all directions.

"It's like saying the sky is blue, or the grass is green or something even more obvious like I don't know, " she paused and whispered, "I really like you too." He let out a short sigh but said no more, letting the silence speak for him. He took her by the waist and pulled her back down to him where they lay way into the morning.

She could hear his heartbeat, feel it through the thin cotton of his shirt; it matched her own racing heart.

The bundle of papers lay forgotten where it fell and slid half under the couch; almost all of the Maka's name could be seen from where it lay, but the crudely drawn heart at the end of it would have been invisible to any passerby.

 **Thank you so much again for reading and for all the support, you all are truly the best. I had to cut it a little short when I realized that I won't have much time to continue, so if it felt as if it moved a little too quickly, it wasn't your imagination. I might add in an epilogue later to tie up some loose ends, but that might not be for a while. Once again thank you so much for sticking with the story!** **Until** **next time then.**


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